President George W. Bush will present the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Chuck Hinken when he arrives at the airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday, April 20, 2007.  Hinken is a volunteer with International Aid.  To thank them for making a difference in the lives of others, President Bush honors a local volunteer when he travels throughout the United States.  President Bush has met with more than 575 individuals around the country, like Hinken, since March 2002.

Hinken has been a volunteer with International Aid for eight years. International Aid is a Christian relief and development agency that provides health care services throughout the world and assistance following domestic and international disasters. As a member of International Aid’s Disaster Relief Team, Hinken has participated in more than a dozen domestic deployments in response to emergencies, including the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, floods and hurricanes.  Since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Hinken has made numerous trips to the Gulf Coast to deliver food and medical supplies, and assist with the clean-up and construction process.  He has helped rebuild the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Waveland, Mississippi, which will be dedicated on April 22, 2007.  In addition, Hinken participates in short-term international mission trips with the Fellowship Reform Church in Hudsonville.  He recently returned from Peru where he spent eight weeks helping to build an orphanage.

In his January 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans to make a difference in their communities through volunteer service. He created USA Freedom Corps, an Office of the White House, to strengthen and expand volunteer service. Americans are responding to the President’s Call to Service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 61 million Americans volunteered in 2006. Go to www.volunteer.gov or call 1-877-USA-CORPS to find an existing volunteer service opportunity in your area or to find more information about service programs, including national service programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Citizen Corps. USA Freedom Corps is also highlighting youth volunteer service. Visit www.volunteerkids.gov for games and ideas designed to show how America's youth are making a difference.

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. For more information about the Award, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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